Halloween and the Star Signs - Tune into the Magic of your Sign at Halloween

Tap IntoYour Inner Magic on The Pagan New Year's Eve Halloween is the Pagan New Year's Eve. The Celts celebrated their New Year on November 1st with a festival that marked the end of the year just passed and also the changing seasons. During this three-day festival, people dressed in costumes made from the skins and heads of animals. The crops had been harvested and stored ready for the winter and on 31st October, all cooking fires in homes were extinguished. Celtic priests gathered on hilltops to light new fires and offer sacrifices of crops and animals. They danced around the flames until dawn and when morning arrived, they gave an ember to each family to take home to start new cooking fires. These fires would keep their homes warm and protect the occupants from evil spirits. At Halloween, Gods and Goddeses would be consulted about the future and magical rituals performed as the ancients drew on the power of all-hallows eve to cast magical spells and to see into the future. There's a little magic in us all and depending on your Sun sign, you will have specific magical talents that you might work with, to invite love and good fortune into your life in the future. These are the qualities you should be focusing on, at Halloween: Aries: Aries the magic in you is your energy and enthusiasm. You won't wait for someone else to discover your talents, you will push yourself forward and let other people see what you can do. You're feisty and fiery and you have a strong sense of self with natural leadership abilities. At Halloween, write a special wish on a piece of green paper. Fold it, burn it over a candle and then sprinkle the ashes into the outside air. Taurus: Taurus the magic in you is your careful and cautious ways. You would never rush into anything or take foolish risks. You work your way steadily towards your goals and you will achieve whatever you put your heart and soul into. You're determined and patient and you don't mind waiting for the rewards at the end of your lengthy plight. At Halloween, write what you want most on a piece of pink paper. Fold it into a square of four creases then bury it in the garden. Over the year ahead, your wish will come true. Gemini: Gemini the magic in you is your versatility along with your agile mind. You're full of wonderful ideas and you love to share your thoughts with others. Teamwork suits you because you get a lot out of your friendships and working relationships. You have many irons in the fire and if you choose the right team-mate, you will succeed. At Halloween write your heart's desire on a piece of yellow paper. Crumple it up and carefully burn it over a candle. Gather the ashes and throw them out of a window and let the wind catch them taking them into the air that is your sign's element. Cancer: Cancer the magic in you is your sensitivity and your strong maternal instinct. You will always want to protect your loved ones and they appreciate your love and the concern you show for them. You are imaginative and creative and will likely have artistic or musical talents. You will be psychic and your dreams are often meaningful. At Halloween, write down your deepest wishes on a piece of pink paper. Fold this, place it into an envelope and bury it in a favourite spot in your garden; believe that your wishes can come true. Leo: Leo the magic in you is the zeal and passion you put into your most important aims. You're incredibly enthusiastic and other people will find your energy is contagious. You know how to inspire others to work towards a mutual goal. You're wonderfully romantic in your close relationships and generous in all your relationships. At Halloween, write down three things you'd like to achieve most over the next nine months; rip this into tiny pieces and throw these onto an open fire. Virgo: Virgo the magic in you is your ability to notice what other people can't see. It isn't that these details aren't there. It's the fact that others so easily overlook what they see as minor, trivial matters whereas you know how important it is to take everything, right down to the last tiniest detail into account. You will achieve success through your careful ways and analytical mind. At Halloween, write down your main aims for the year ahead on a piece of green paper. Place it into an envelope and place this envelope into a book of poetry on your bookshelf. The next person to find this will have something to do with your Destiny. Libra: Libra the magic in you is your wonderful sense of justice and balance. You're the one people turn to when they need someone to act as a go-between in contentious matters. Your advice about romance, work, money, health is often sought because friends appreciate your balanced, unbiased opinion. At Halloween write your deepest wishes onto a piece of pale blue paper. Fold this and bury it in a garden under a rose bush or your favourite plant for your wishes to come true over the coming year. Scorpio: Scorpio the magic in you is your persistence and the way you put your whole self: mind, body, heart and soul into whatever you do. You are determined and you don't take your responsibilities lightly. You're highly intuitive and it might seem sometimes as if you can read other people's minds. At Halloween write down the goals you want most for yourself on lined green paper. Burn this over a green candle and scatter the ashes into the open air preferably in a garden setting. Sagittarius: Sagittarius the magic in you is your courageous and explorative nature. You love to venture out into the world and enjoy new experiences. You're fascinated by other countries and their cultures and you have a mind that is forever learning. You're also incredibly philosophical and people will not only enjoy your conversations and companionship but you have a natural ability to teach. At Halloween write down your wishes on a piece of yellow paper. Fold it and place it in a photograph album. The next time this is found, at least one of your wishes will have come true. Capricorn: Capricorn the magic in you is your prudence and ambition. Whatever you set your sights on, you can see yourself reaching your goal because patience will slowly take you to the place you want to be. Maybe you don't always think positively but you do know that patience brings its just rewards. At Halloween write down your wishes for the year ahead on a piece of green paper. Place this in a green envelope and bury it in the garden. Aquarius: Aquarius the magic in you is the love you have for fellow humans. Aquarius is the most humanitarian sign of the zodiac. You will often, throughout your life, be involved in charity and other concerns that enable you to help other people help themselves or bring a degree of support to those who are less fortunate. You are versatile with an incredible imagination. At Halloween, write down your hopes for the future on a piece of yellow paper. Burn this over a yellow candle and throw the ashes to the wind. Pisces: Pisces the magic in you is your spirituality and intuition. You might sense 'otherworldly' vibrations and there is every chance you have clairvoyant or mediumistic abilities. On the night of Halloween, you are more aware than most of the ghostly atmosphere and the mystical and magical atmosphere that abounds. At Halloween write down your deepest wishes on a piece of pink paper. Burn this over a pink candle (with due care and attention) and bury the ashes in the garden.

Popular haunted castles in UK

North, south, east or west, almost every corner of the UK can boast of having its haunted castle. Many of these ancient buildings have a sinister and gruesome past, and most have built up a reputation of being haunted. Some offer tours through their dark rooms and shadowy, narrow stone passageways, where eerie presences have been felt or ghostly figures seen. As well as ghost tours, for those who are very brave, some castles such as Chillingham Castle in Northumberland offer the chance of joining in all-night ghostly vigils. Chillingham, with its ghostly rooms, dungeon and torture chamber, where many thousands of Scots were tortured to death, is said, by some, to be the most haunted place on earth. Among some of its ghosts include a tortured child, a wandering lady in white, voices in the chapel and the spirit of Lady Berkely, whose husband ran off with her sister, leaving her abandoned at the castle with her baby. Now she searches the corridors of Chillingham in search of her cheating mate. The picturesque Eilean Donan Castle is one of the most photographed castles in Scotland. Sitting on a rocky islet where three lochs meet, the castle has a fascinating history. In the early 1300s Randolph, earl of Moray, had 50 men executed at Eilean Donan and ordered their heads to be spiked on the castle walls. But it is the ghost of a Spanish soldier who was killed during a siege in the early 1700s that is said to haunt the castle. Also, one of its bedrooms is haunted by the ghost of a lady. The magnificent Warwick Castle in England is reputed to be haunted by the restless spirit of Sir Fulke Greville who was murdered at the castle by his manservant. There are many recorded ghost sightings at Warwick castle, including some captured on security camera. Cleaners and security personnel have reported eerie happenings and encounters with spirit beings. The castle’s ghost hunt for July 2011 is now fully booked, but they are still taking bookings for the ghost hunts in October and November! Many paranormal events have taken place in Gwyrch Castle in Wales which is haunted by a white lady, a red lady and a butler, among others. Some stories tell of how, after a séance at the castle, a solid oak door was ripped off its hinges. Although now in a dilapidated state of repair, this has been said to be one of the most haunted castles in Wales. There have been many eerie encounters and ghostly tales connected with Windsor, one of the most well-known castles in the UK. Henry VIII’s dragging footsteps can be heard in the deanery cloisters while Elizabeth I haunts the royal library. Some have seen the sad face of mad King George peering out of a window while Charles I haunts a Canon’s house in the castle precincts. The ghost of a young Grenadier Guard who shot himself while on duty at Windsor Castle haunts the Long Walk, the kitchen of one of the buildings in the castle grounds is haunted by a man leading a horse, while ghostly footsteps can be heard on many of the castle’s staircases. Throughout the UK stand scores of grand and many now sadly ruined castles. And whether visiting some of the more majestic buildings or one of the more desolate places, each and every one will have its own ghostly tale or two. Sources: http://www.chillingham-castle.com/GhostsPg.asp?S=3&V=1&P=34 http://great-castles.com/chillinghamghost.php http://www.hauntedcastlesandhotels.com/Scotland/eile andonan.htm http://www.medieval-castle.com/haunted_castles_wales /gwyrch_castle.htm http://www.bbc.co.uk/berkshire/content/articles/2005 /10/12/windsor_castle_ghosts_feature.shtml